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Author Kat Gerard Visits!

Debut author Kat Gerard is visiting us today to talk about her new book In Transit and her journey in writing it. Let's give her a big Bibliophile welcome!!!

A Novel 17 Years-in-the-Making

My novel, IN TRANSIT, was released in May, but I actually started writing the book 17 years before it was published. A literary agent I had when I was in my early 20s, had an "in" with a romance publisher that was looking for "women in jeopardy" stories. The publisher recommended that aspiring authors read the book REBECCA by Daphne du Mauier (1938) to inspire their own stories. REBECCA is about a girl's transition into womanhood - how her innocent intentions grow into something much larger, as well as duplicity, secrets and lies. REBECCA really appealed to me because of the bold characterizations of a very powerful older man and a younger woman who is not quite so powerful and the surprises that befall their relationship as a result.

With that in mind, I brainstormed, searching for my own unique story to tell. A dear friend of mine since high school, had been working as a New York City Police Officer. She prowled about the New York City Subway System on a midnight to 8 a.m. shift...If that didn't epitomize a "woman in jeopardy," what did? I planted that seed in my imagination and that's when a story began to flourish.

One of my favorite contemporary romance novels is BEYOND EDEN by Catherine Coulter. It's a metropolitan story about "Eden," a New York model (with secrets) who falls in love with an older, handsome ex-cop, with a sordid past of his own. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters, and I really admired how Coulter interwove the plot with elements of romance, family dynamics, mystery and murder.

That mix was exactly what I had in mind in fashioning and structuring IN TRANSIT, and I wanted my novel to crisscross genres, too. However, unlike the more "exotic" nature of BEYOND EDEN, I wanted to write about the lives of ordinary people who just happen to be police officers. The characters in IN TRANSIT might be like those who live next door to you and go to their jobs in the NYPD like a neighbor might go to work as a plumber or a teacher.

IN TRANSIT begins as a rather naive quest for Rita Del Vecchio, a 22 year-old "Jersey Girl" with innocent intentions of becoming an NYPD cop and "marrying a man in uniform." Once she passes the police exam and training, her story snowballs into something much more harrowing and ominous. The plot is rooted in the ordinary lives of NYPD career cops, the choices they make (or don't make), and depicts how their fates are often determined by people who hold secrets as dark and as labyrinth-like as the New York City Subway Transit System.

It took me about four months (8-10 hours per day) to write a very rough, first draft of the book - Rita's (the protagonist's) story was central, and then I rewrote the novel again and again over the next year. When my agent finally submitted the novel to the publisher, it was met with favorable responses, but it was ultimately rejected. At the time, it was a crushing blow, but over the years, I've learned that's the business of writing. Sometimes it's hit or miss. When you miss, you simply dust yourself off and move on to the next project. That's when I decided to put IN TRANSIT away, and I began to work on another book...then another...and so on.

Seventeen years later, an editor who heard me read a portion of another novel at a writing workshop asked if I had any genre fiction "in the hopper." I remembered IN TRANSIT and sent her a sample. When she expressed interest, I decided to resurrect the novel and completely overhauled the book - updating facets of the plot for a post 9-11 world. Voila! The book finally found a home!

Have you ever committed to something for a period of time in your life - be it in a relationship...in pursuit of a dream or passion...a goal you felt you needed to pursue in order to find fulfillment in your life? Were you met with opposition or did people embrace your choice? We encourage you to share your stories with us.

***BIBLIOPHILE ALERT! I have been reading like an even crazier book addict than usual this year, and apparently three reviews a week can't keep up pace with me! Because of this, for the entire month of July I will be having FIVE reviews a week! That's right! Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday! So, please remember to check back here more often during July - and come August I'm planning on returning to three reviews a week. Keep the schedule change in mind, and don't miss any reviews! :)

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Hi Angie: Thank you for your warm welcome! I appreciate your allowing me to feature "the story behind the story" of IN TRANSIT. Wishing you, and all the followers of the BSG, a happy summer of reading! :) Kathleen

Angie, thanks a million for hosting Kathleen. Good for you going for 5 reviews a week! Now that's what I call some serious reading :)

I love reading guest posts by Kathleen because I always learn so much. I remember when "Rebecca" was on my assigned summer reading list from high school and it's great to hear how this classic work inspired the innocence to maturity theme in "In Transit."

I also like how Kathleen makes a point of writing about ordinary people. I always enjoy reading about characters who face something extraordinary within the confines of everyday life.

But most of all, I appreciate how "In Transit" reached publication 17 years after its creation. Kathleen's perseverance and determination are inspiring to all writers out there.

Hi Julie: Glad Nicole sent you over...Very pleased to know another REBECCA fan and doubly pleased by the fact that my guest post piqued your interest for IN TRANSIT. Hope you enjoy the book. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Bibliophile Support Group! :) Kathleen

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Note to Authors, Publishers, & Publicists

I love to read and review books and have been doing it for years (before my blog I also participated in Reader Review programs, etc.) so if you'd like to send me a book and get my thoughts posted on this blog or if you'd like me to have a contest involving your book(s), please email me at: BibliophileAngie@comcast.net. I'd be flattered, and most certainly interested!!! However, I don't read e-books and I almost never read nonfiction. :)

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What Do I Read?

My favorite genre tends to be YA, with an extra special love for fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal, and supernatural. But I also enjoy almost all genres of YA, middlegrade, and adult fiction, including action/adventure, murder mystery, historical fiction, thrillers, romance, comedy, chick-lit, and contemporary. I'm a fiction gal, through and through.